novelraw Chapter 309 309: Do You Think I Did It?
Chapter 309 309: Do You Think I Did It?
The space of the Blood Prison Scroll receded like a falling tide. The warm lights of the side hall and the familiar sounds of voices flooded back into his senses.
Bullet's towering figure appeared at the doorway, looking slightly stiff. The warm yet tearful chaos inside the hall made him feel strangely out of place. He glanced around cautiously, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
Bullet was, after all, a complicated man.
When his gaze swept across the room and landed on the man with the bright, carefree smile, his pupils suddenly shrank.
Roger.
Bullet's lips moved slightly, but in the end he said nothing.
Countless questions surged through his mind. Why had Roger returned from the dead? Why had he become young again?
But in the end, all of it turned into a simple snort. He pushed the shock and confusion deep into his heart.
That was simply who Bullet was. A man who never interfered with other people's affairs.
Some things did not need to be asked.
As long as the man was still here, that was enough.
In its own strange way, perhaps that was also a kind of pure affection.
"Bullet!"
Roger was the first to notice him. Laughing loudly, he walked over with his arms wide open and slapped Bullet's armor with a heavy thump.
"Hey! Long time no see!"
Max wiped the tears from his face and walked over as well. He punched Bullet in the shoulder, only to freeze immediately.
"Damn, that's hard."
His palm visibly swelled from the impact. Embarrassed, the shark-toothed Max glared at Bullet and shouted,
"You bastard! Where did you run off to earlier? How could you disappear at a time like this?"
Shanks and Buggy were even more direct.
They rushed forward and grabbed onto Bullet from both sides, clinging to him despite the obvious disgust on his face.
"Uncle Bullet! You scared us!"
"Yeah! We thought Reid beat you again and you ran off to hide somewhere!"
The warmth and unconditional acceptance in their voices flowed over him like a gentle current, slightly melting the cold aura that always surrounded Bullet.
He shifted his shoulders awkwardly, trying to shake the two kids off. In the end he simply snorted, using that as his response to everyone's greetings.
He had never considered himself part of the Roger Pirates' family.
Yet at this moment, something sincere and difficult to suppress stirred inside him.
Perhaps it was simply that their time together had been too short back then. The timing had been wrong.
If they had spent longer together, even stone might have softened.
Not far away, Reid quietly watched the scene. The lazy smile that usually rested on his face had disappeared.
He took a slow breath and stepped forward, stopping in the center of the hall.
Everyone's eyes gradually gathered on him.
Reid's gaze slowly swept across every person present.
Roger. Rouge. Max. Shanks. Buggy. Bullet.
These were the people who meant the most to him. His family and companions. The bonds he had forged over decades of sailing.
They were the ones he could entrust everything to.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Reid slowly bent forward.
He gave them a deep, solemn bow.
The sudden gesture felt heavy in the air.
"Hey, Reid… you…" Roger's laughter faded.
Reid straightened up again.
"Everyone," he said quietly, though his voice carried clearly through the room, "I have something extremely important that I must deal with. I need to leave for a while. The time may be long, or it may be short. I cannot be certain."
He paused.
His eyes moved across the room again, lingering briefly on Roger and Rouge.
"During my absence," Reid continued, a hint of earnestness in his voice, "my kingdom, the Scarlet Dawn, and the people who rely on me for protection… as well as my most important family and friends…"
His gaze finally settled on Bullet, though his words were meant for everyone.
"…I leave them in your hands."
The hall fell silent.
Everyone understood what Reid had meant earlier when he spoke about protection.
And they understood the weight of the bow he had just given them.
This was not an order from the Lord of Mist.
It was simply a man, preparing for a long journey, entrusting everything he cherished to the companions he trusted most.
Roger was the first to react.
He strode forward, grabbed Reid by the shoulders, and shook him hard.
"Hahaha! What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Your family is our family too! Just go already and stop worrying!"
"Exactly!" Max thumped his chest proudly. "Leave it to us! Sure, we might not be as strong as you, but we can call reinforcements! We'll find Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban. Heh!"
Shanks and Buggy jumped around enthusiastically.
"We'll protect everyone!"
Under these circumstances, the two future emperors of the sea looked nothing more than enthusiastic apprentice pirates on Roger's ship.
Bullet stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene quietly.
Finally he let out a heavy snort.
"Hmph. Stop talking so much. Since I agreed, I'll do it."
Reid looked around once more.
The final trace of worry in his heart slowly faded.
"Good," he said with a relaxed shrug. "Then I can leave without concern… and bring back some rather big news for everyone."
As his words ended, his body began to blur.
Blood mist slowly spread around him.
"Wait for my return."
His figure had already become half transparent.
Just as the farewell atmosphere reached its peak, when everyone was immersed in good wishes and faint melancholy,
"Reid!"
A gentle yet firm voice called out.
Rouge.
Reid had been preparing to make a cool, dramatic exit.
"Uh… Sis? What… what is it?"
He blinked in confusion.
Rouge had already stepped forward and stood a few paces in front of him.
"I won't stop you from leaving," she said calmly. "But I want to ask you something first. Is this really so urgent? Do you absolutely have to leave immediately after saying goodbye? Not even a moment can be delayed?"
The question caught Reid completely off guard.
It was such a simple sentence, yet strangely difficult to answer.
Still, he replied honestly.
"Huh? Well… it's not that urgent. I just want to go confirm something. It has to be handled sooner or later anyway…"
Before he could finish speaking, Rouge suddenly reached out and grabbed his ear.
"Ow! Ow ow ow! Sis! Easy! Easy!"
The man who had just been boasting confidently to Bullet instantly bent over in pain, baring his teeth as he begged for mercy.
"Sis, what's wrong? I didn't trick Ace into drinking alcohol. That was Roger!"
"Wait… that actually happened?"
Roger blinked.
Rouge gave him a gentle smile that clearly carried a message.
My little brother comes first. You can wait.
Roger silently accepted his fate.
"It's over for me," he muttered to the others.
"Rouge, listen," Roger quickly tried to defend himself. "Shanks and Buggy suggested it first! I was just going along with it!"
"So Shanks and Buggy were involved too?"
Shanks and Buggy exploded instantly.
"You idiot captain! What are you saying? We didn't do anything! We know nothing!"
Roger bared his shark-like teeth and roared,
"Do you really think I did that?!"